Silver Eyes and Lullabies
by Everon Prime
Summary: In "Of Hope and Destruction," the story eludes to many incidents in young Everon's childhood, incidents that helped shaped her to who she is today. Though some are funny, some are sad, and they all intermix with each other to create the young woman who is torn between two different families with two different ideals. (Series of one-shots centered around my character, Everon Prime)
1. The Guatemala Incident

**If you like this story, read my story "Of Hope and Destruction" which is set during the Prime series!**

**This story is going to be a set of one-shots from my character Everon Prime's childhood. Unlike my other story, I don't plan on having any of these in Everon's viewpoint. They will be in most of the other characters' point of views. Also, if you have any character requests, just ask me.**

**And please review!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Transformers: Prime characters, just Everon.**

* * *

I was fragged. Destined for the scrap-heap. I have made many mistakes over the years, but this one tops all the others.

It was simple: just watch Everon. Make sure she is occupied while everyone is out on patrol. Simple, right? I was ecstatic that the boss had left me in charge. Now, I wish it had been anyone but me. What, you may ask, did I, Bulkhead, the giant Con-smashing Wrecker do to cause me to be this freaked out? Well, it's simple really. I took my eyes off my boss' four-year-old daughter for a few minutes. Just a few.

In those few minutes, she managed to figure out how to work the ground bridge controls.

_And_ she sent herself to Guatemala.

I didn't even know anything about Guatemala!

Now, here I am, trying to figure out how to turn the ground bridge back on at the coordinates she sent herself to. Panic was gripping my brain. My little sister could be being kidnapped, eaten by wild animals…

Turning my attention back to the ground bridge controls, I quickly finished selecting the last location the bridge opened at. Then, I ran through the vortex. Just as the bridge closed, I realized something.

I had no way of getting back since _no one_ was at the base to bridge me back.

"Today is just not my day…" I mutter as I bury my face into my hand. Quickly, I decide to radio Bumblebee. He was closest to the base, and the most likely to not blab to Optimus. "Hey, Bee, I need a _huge_ favor."

_**Okay, what did you break?**_ Bee bleeped over the comm link.

"Nothing! I just… may have lost Ev…"

_**What?!**_

"I'm looking for her! She somehow ground bridged herself to Guatemala." I finally began to look at my surroundings. The area was really hilly, with mountains to my left and desert off in the distance to my right.

_**You're in Mexico! How are you planning to bridge back?**_

"That's why I called. Can you head back to base and wait for me? Once I get her, you bridge us back to base, that way Optimus won't find out. Please?"

_**You owe me, Bulk. Primus, we are so dead…**_

"Just hurry, I should find her soon." With that, I cut the comm link. As I turn to pick a direction to search though, I somehow slip and end up rolling down the cliff side. If anyone had seen me, I never would have heard the end of it. I screamed worse than a little girl. By the time I managed to stop, I was covered head to toe in mud.

"Well, this is _perfect_," I mutter as I try to sling the mud off of my hand. It must have rained recently because the heat should have dried this up by now. As I stand back up, I see no signs of Everon being in this area, so that means that I was going to have to climb back up the cliff.

Which is _not_ easy for a two-ton mech with as much girth as me.

Finally, after sliding back down the cliff side a few more times, I make it back to the top and shift into my vehicle mode. Luckily, my military jeep mode could hold it's own on this terrain. As I drive, I soon see little footprints in the dirt that looked to be about Ev's size. "Well, that's a start."

Following the footprints, I soon see them join up with several others, and it looks as if she followed them. "Scrap." I could only hope that they don't hurt her. I drive a little more quickly, and I soon find a village. I drive up onto a ridge a good distance away in order to get a better view.

The village was very quaint, just a few houses and a barn or two. Down in the courtyard, I could see several children playing while the adults talked off to the side. In the center of the playing children was a very familiar, ivory skinned girl with brown hair and silver eyes.

I sighed in relief. Ev was safe. Now came the interesting part: getting her _away_ from the other humans without gaining too much attention. I couldn't just walk in and grab her. I have to maintain my cover.

While I mused on the best way to rescue my little sister, I felt something land on me. A brown and tan chicken just sat there, staring at my windshield. "Shoo!" It cocked it's head to the side, then pecked at my windshield. "Seriously?"

I decided to ignore the bird, but then another chicken land next to it. Before I knew what was happening, I was covered in dozens of the birds, all of them lightly cooing or squawking. "What the frag is going on?!" Then, I felt a sharp kick in my side. "OW!" I turn my mirrors to see a bull standing right next to me, pawing the ground. "Oh scrap…"

I find myself driving down the roadside, covered in feathers and chicken poop, getting chased by a bull and the flock of chickens. "What did I do!?"

The villagers all turn to see me, including Everon who starts giggling up a storm. "Bulkhead!" she squeals.

I pull along side her, pop open my passenger door, and yell, "Ev, c'mon!" Still giggling, she complied, running over and jumping into the seat while the village just stared.

As I pulled away, she began to talk excitedly. "Bulkie, I had so much fun! I figured out how to work the uh… glowie thing that Ratchet uses to send you guys places and I came here and I met some nice people and I played tag with the other kids. They all talked funny. They didn't speak English so I tried Cybertronian…"

She continued talking like that, me giving the occasional interjection though I really had no idea what she was saying. My mind was focused on getting away from that bull. And wondering how hard it was going to be to get the drying and cracking mud out of my undercarriage.

Eventually, once I was sure that the bull wasn't behind us, I pulled over and decided to interrupt her. "Ev, you can't do this. The ground bridge is not a toy, and while I think it's amazing that you figured out how to work it, you should never try without permission. You could get hurt."

Her silver doe eyes grew wide and her lip began to quiver as she turned her gaze to her lap. "I'm sorry, Bulkhead. I didn't mean to make you mad, I swear…"

I sigh. I've always been a sucker when it comes to her. "I'm not mad, just relieved that you weren't hurt. Now, let's get back to base before the others realize you're gone."

She immediately perks up. "Okay! But I had a lot of fun today."

I chuckle. "Well I'm glad. Hey Bee, can you open the ground bridge?" No reply, but the bridge does open in front of us soon after the message is sent. As I drive through, I shift so that Ev is in my hand. "Alright kid, now remember: you can't tell anyone. Bee knows, but we can't let the others find out. Especially…" I look up and see everyone standing in front of the ground bridge exit, Bee shrugging in the back and a very pissed looking Dad Bot in the front. "…Optimus."

Ev is completely oblivious to how upset her dad is at the moment. "Hi Daddy! Bulkhead and I were… hanging out!"

"Really?" Arcee asks, smirking. "What did you do that would lead to _that_?" She then gestures to me, and I look down to see what she meant. I could only groan.

I was still covered in layers of both dried and wet mud, chicken feathers and poop, _plus_ I had a huge dent in one of my chest plates from the bull. I just sigh.

Cliffjumper steps forward and takes Everon from my hand. "Maybe we should all just agree that babysitting Ev is at least a two Bot job."

Looking at Everon, who had begun to giggle again as she looked at me, I replied, "You have no idea."


	2. The Little Princess

As the Decepticons' Second in Command, the highly esteemed Commander of our seeker armada, and the _loyal_ servant to our glorious Lord Megatron, you would think that _I_ would be the uncontested heir to the throne. Yet, alas, my position has recently has been threatened by the most unlikely of candidates.

Megatron's daughter.

Everyone took so easily to her: she was _perfect_ in their eyes. She knew Cybertronian. She was kind to all the crew. Everyone, especially our esteemed Lord and Master, _adored_ her. And to add insult to this injustice, she wasn't even a true Cybertronian.

She was part _human_.

At first, I thought that Megatron had lost his mind when he told me about the girl possibly being his daughter. Then, blasted Knock Out had to confirm that the girl was actually a product of a spark shock he partook in with the Prime to 'save' a human woman. At that moment, Megatron didn't care that the little flesh bag was barely bigger then one of his teeth: he pronounced her the Decepticon princess, and his true _heir_.

I then tried to convince myself that this was a phase, a desperate attempt for our master to have a child of some kind. It would fade quickly, and he would deem the thing useless, get rid of it, and things would go back to normal.

It has been here for _seven_ Earth months.

He even went so far as to name it! Albeit, the name was a good one. Shadow Tronus. Fitting for a princess. Maybe once this war is over and I lead the Decepticons, I shall name my first daughter that. Or something along those lines.

The only comfort I can take now is the fact that humans have notoriously short life spans. She would be dead within a few Earth decades, which is nothing compared to a Cybertronian's life. Knock Out is under the strictest of orders to find a way to somehow awaken the Cybertronian aspect of her CNA and perhaps lengthen her life, but I hold no fear in that. The only scientist I knew to have any decent research in CNA was Shockwave, and he is currently pushing up lug nuts.

As of right now, I am currently in charge of the ship's bridge. Knock Out and Breakdown needed to go scout for energon readings, and Megatron had to go deal with an Autobot problem at one of mines. He took Soundwave with him and told me to keep the ship in order.

And to keep an eye on his daughter.

That part of the job should be relatively easy. She is resting in her chambers, which actually in Lord Megatron's chambers. Due to her small size, she didn't need much room, and Lord Megatron's room is the most secure room on the ship. Mostly, she ended up sleeping on Lord Megatron's shoulder though, sometimes on either Knock Out or Breakdown's shoulder. A few times with Soundwave even.

Actually, the child rarely slept in own bed.

Anyway, tonight was one of those rare nights. I was quite happy with this fact, though. It meant that I didn't have to deal with her. Everyone was quite aware of how we didn't get along. Even when we attempt to get along, merely so that Megatron wouldn't get mad at us (a.k.a.- me), we always end up arguing. Which is really sad for me, because I realize that I've been reduced to arguing with a youngling.

As I stare out the open window of the Nemesis, I hear the doors open from behind me. "Are the maintenance reports back yet—" I stop speaking as I turn and see no drone standing in the doorway. Instead, I tilt my head downwards to see a little human girl standing in the massive doorway.

Shadow was in a giant t-shirt, one that reached down to her mid-calf. I don't even _want_ to get into how hard it was for us to acquire her some clothes, especially ones that fit correctly. Her hair was messy, and she stood nervously before me, twisting her hands and face glued to the floor. "Um… Starscream, is… is my father here?"

The way she spoke made me suddenly a bit more attentive towards the girl. "No," I tell her as I slowly walk down the bridge's walkway towards her. "He and the other officers are currently off ship."

She suddenly jolted and turned to leave. "Okay… um, sorry for bothering—"

"Shadow, have you been crying?" She froze and didn't move, but I did hear a distinct sniffle come from her. _Oh, frag it to the Pit…_

I may not like the girl, but my animosity was mainly due to the threat she posed to my position of leading the Decepticons. Quite honestly, though I would gut anyone who said this, I have always had a soft spot for younglings and sparklings. I guess that the caring comes with once being the leader of a trine.

Walking quickly to the girl, I step over her so I could kneel in front of her. Tear tracts could be seen along her face as she looked up to me, and her silver eyes looked sad and distant. She soon turned her head back to the floor.

"What is wrong, Shadow?"

She didn't speak for a second, but then she responded, "You know, one of the things I like about you is that you've never called me Princess." Her gaze moved back up to me, a sad smile on her face.

I try my best to smile to her. "Is there something I could perhaps help with?"

She suddenly seemed extremely shy, which was out of character for the young child. Her confidence and strong personality is one of the things I admire about her, that and the brilliant silver of her eyes, which are rare to Cybertronians. "I… had a nightmare."

"Want to tell me about it?"

She seemed unsure, but spoke anyway. "Everyone was there: both my daddies, both my families, and everyone was arguing. The land was dark: lightning, fire… it was horrible. I wanted to tell them to stop… but I couldn't speak, and slowly everyone faded away. If I could have spoken, I knew I could have gotten them to stop, but I just couldn't… everyone was gone, even you…"

I was surprised by the last admission. "Why would you care if I was gone? It's no secret that we don't get along."

She smiled to me. "I may not like you, but I certainly don't hate you. You're annoying, but family can be that way sometimes. Doesn't mean you want them to leave you."

I'm stunned at her words. They reminded me of my trine, the two brothers I lost. They could have been a bother at times to reign in, but I would give anything to have them back. "I guess I don't hate you either," I told the girl. That got a real smile out of her. "Would you like to hear a story? Maybe that would calm your nerves. Then we can go back to not liking each other tomorrow when the others are back."

She nodded eagerly, so I offered her my hand, which she quickly climbed on, and then I sat her on my shoulder. "Now, these are stories of the most magnificent seeker trine you could ever meet…"

* * *

Several hours later, I hear the door to the bridge open. "Starscream," Knock Out asked nervously. "Megatron radioed from his quarters and is on his way here. He can't find…" The medic tapered off, shocked at the sight before him.

"Not a word out of you," I tell him threateningly as he stared at my shoulder.

"Starscream!" Megatron roared as he stormed onto to the bridge. "Where—" He then saw the same sight as Knock Out and went as silent as the medic.

I sigh. "She had a nightmare, and none of you were here. I talked to her, told her some stories, and she fell asleep. I just left her there…"

As I spoke, Shadow began to stir from her perch on my shoulder. She yawned and stretched, then she noticed Megatron and Knock Out. Smiling, she excitedly told them, "Screamer told me about a really awesome seeker trine… the three brothers were amazing!"

Knock Out chuckled. "I'm _sure_ they were." He strode forward. "Now come on, I have some fresh energon crystals you can help me synthesize in the lab."

She yawned while sitting cross-legged on my shoulder. "M'kay," she responded sleepily. Knock Out picked her up from my shoulder and sat her on his where she promptly flopped to side with a thunk, asleep yet again.

After the two had left, I turned to my Master who had been watching the whole exchange with a neutral expression. He strode to the command platform, and I moved to stand next to him. Before I could speak though, he said, "Starscream."

"Yes, master?"

He is quiet for a moment. "Thank you." I merely nodded to him and turned to stare forward as he did.

And we returned to our normal routine without a second thought.


	3. The Short-Lived Autobot Prank War

**This chapter is one of the stories mentioned in "Of Hope and Destruction." I decided to go into detail about it... Hope you like it! **

* * *

The base was eerily quiet. Optimus and Ratchet were the only ones gone today, so I had expected the others to be louder then usual. I mean, I had been gone from the base for only an hour, but I had left Bulkhead, Bumblebee, and Cliffjumper alone at base with Everon in charge.

_Something_ should be broken by now.

Maybe that's why it's so quiet. They could be panicking and trying to fix whatever they broke. No, that can't be it. They would be even louder then normal and running around the base trying to figure out how fix the situation and avoid Ratchet's wrath.

Honestly, I shouldn't jump to worst conclusions. Everon, though only a young 13 years old, is an extremely mature girl. She could easily keep the others in line here at base. Part of me, though, still sees her as the innocent young girl from before her time with the Decepticons. She is still good, it's just her personality is now a mix of being more assertive and crafty. Her curious nature had morphed into a penchant for mischief, and I had a feeling that her mischievous tendencies had a hand in whatever is going on here at base.

As I walk towards the back hall, I take in the silence. I can't remember the last time the base had been this quiet. Between all the Bots that live here, it's normally full of noise, so the silence kept me on edge. Reaching the back training room, I open the sliding doors, but as I step through them, I fail to notice the trip wire I step on.

I do, however, notice the oil sludge pour down on my head.

As I stand in shocked silence, Cliffjumper jumps out from a crouched position behind some crates. "Hah! I got you… Oh, scrap."

"Cliff," I say in an eerily calm voice.

He sheepishly grins at me as rubs the back of his head. "Uh… Hey, Arcee. That was meant for Bulk or Bee…"

I use my hands to try to futilely wipe some of the sludge from my face. "And _why_ would you set a trap for those two?"

"I wanted to prank them."

I sent him a death glare. "What in the frag is a prank?"

He grins at me. "Language, 'Cee. Remember, we're trying to break Ev of that habit?" My glare sobers his grin a bit. Still smiling though, he walks up to me and wipes some of the sludge from my shoulder. "It's a human thing. You pull a trick on a person because there reactions are funny."

"Funny, huh?" I then smack him upside the helm, which causes him to yelp.

"Hey, easy on the horns!" As I turn and strode from the room, he calls after me, "Where are you going, 'Cee?"

"To find this little prank war's instigator."

* * *

I had a gut feeling she would be up on the roof. She always ended up there. As I walk up to her, she quickly looks up from whatever she was working on, tense, but relaxes once she registers it was me. Grinning, she says, "I take it you were on the receiving end of a prank?"

I huff and cross my arms over chest once I reach her. "Cliffjumper is going to get his aft handed to him come next training practice." I pause, then add, "And don't tell Optimus that I swore around you." Another pause. "Again."

She smiled before making a motion of zipping her lips and locking them shut. I return her smile as I crouch beside her, looking at her latest project. The device looked like a giant storage tank, about the length of my arm but about three times as wide. I reach for the wiring panel that she had left open, but she smacked my hand without looking away from her work. It didn't hurt, of course, but I knew the intent so I retracted my hand.

"So, what project does Ratchet have you working on this time?" I ask her as she lifts and snaps a panel about the same size as her back into place.

"This is more of a personal project…"

I quirk a brow at her. "Let me guess: a prank?"

She gave me a serious look. "Bee and Bulk thought it would be funny to put a clear saran wrap in front of my door. And glue my furniture to the ceiling. This is revenge." An almost evil grin passes on her face. "Would you mind helping me set this up?"

I momentarily contemplate her request. "Can we add Cliff to this prank?"

"Oh, frag yeah."

"Language."

"Buzz kill."

* * *

"What does this thing even do?" I ask Everon as I set up the device over the hall doorway. After making sure it wouldn't fall and was hanging the correct way, I step off the crate and began moving them out of the way.

Ev moved to walk a little farther down the hallway. "You'll see. Now come over here: I don't want you to accidentally set off the proximity timers."

"You know how to build proximity timers?" I ask as I approach her.

She merely shrugs. "Let's just say that the Cons may not be the best roll models, but they let me mess with about anything. Though Megatron nearly took off Knock Out's head out when he found out the bombs I learned off of were active."

"What?!"

She rolled her eyes. "They were running out of ways to keep me entertained. My boredom normally leads to chaos... such as when I taught the Cons about pranks..." She shuddered.

That caught my interest. We had been having trouble trying to get Ev to open up about her time on the Decepticon warship, and now she was openly discussing it. "What exactly happened?"

"Shh!" she said suddenly. "I hear someone coming towards the doorway. They must have gotten our message."

"Yeah, what is it exactly that you two wanted?" Ev and I jumped at the new voice. We spin around to see Cliffjumper, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee standing behind us.

"What are you three doing here? Where did you come from?!" I ask in a startled voice.

Bulk looks puzzled. "You two were the ones who called the meeting. We just came from one of the back storage rooms."

**Yeah, why did you want to have the meeting in the hall anyway?** Bee asked.

"Wait!" Ev interjected. "If you three are here, who is entering the hall?" We all turn to the doorway just in time to see Optimus and Ratchet step through. "Oh, scrap."

We all heard a faint beep, followed by a light bursting sound. The tank had opened up, releasing a good few hundred gallons of paint down onto the heads of our unsuspecting leader and medic. To make matters worse?

It was _bright pink_.

And _glittery_.

As I examine the startled and confused look of Optimus and the slowly building anger of Ratchet, I merely sigh and say, "We are so fragged."

Bee timidly interjects, **I'm wondering if we should cut our losses and call a truce on this prank war…**

Cliff snorts. "To the Pit with wondering about a truce. _I'm_ wondering how the frag Ev got her hands on that much pink glitter paint."

* * *

**I hope you all liked this! I wanted to throw in a chapter from Arcee's POV, and this instance seemed like the best chance to do it. I'm considering writing about the prank war during Ev's time with the ****Cons. I have some pretty interesting ideas for this one... It will probably be more entertaining then these pranks.**

**Anyway, please review! The more you comment on the stories, the better. :)**


	4. How to Prank a Decepticon

**Sorry, it's been a while, but I've been trying to decide which POV I wanted to use… Anyway, I'm finally posting this! Oh, for anyone reading my other story, **_**Of Hope and Destruction**_**, I will post another chapter next week! I promise! I'm just fixing the details to wrap up that story and start the sequel, **_**Chasing Shadows of Angels**_**, but I finally have all the bugs in my ideas worked out.**

"Uh, Little Bit, I know this sounds like fun, but are you sure things won't get out of hand…"

She rolls her eyes and gives me a mischievous smile while her silver eyes glint with excitement. "C'mon, Breakdown! This will be _awesome_! Don't tell me you're scared."

I scoff. "Of Starscream? No. Knockout? No. Soundwave? Maybe. But of Megatron? That's not fear: that's self-preservation at work."

"Well, you're not touching that prank. That one's gonna be me, and he won't hurt me. Maybe glare, but eventually he'll be proud that I managed to get the upper hand on him. I think. Anyway, I just need help with the set up of the others. Trust me, you'll be laughing your aft off."

I give the girl a skeptical look, but continue on nonetheless. When she had first explained what a prank was, I had been all for it. The idea seemed like it would add some energy to this dull ship while perking up our little nine-year-old princess. She had been in one of her more… depressive and quiet moods as of late.

I wish that she wasn't so fragging attached to those Autobots. She loved us, but she still loved them. And I'm starting to wonder if she would ever fully be over them.

I shake off the thought and focus on the now. I would make her want to stay with us rather then those goody-goody scum. And if getting her to enjoy life on the Nemesis more meant pulling pranks and risking my aft, then so be it.

"So, what's next?" I ask her.

"Well, I finished up Screamer and Soundwave's prank back at that computer station, so now we have Knockout, and then I will prank my father."

Nervously, I ask, "Are you sure that's such a good idea?..."

She smirked and said, "It's _Knockout_. The worst he will do is yell and pitch a fit—"

"I meant pranking your father."

"Oh." She seemed to contemplate this for a minute, then shrugged and said, "Probably not."

She was _way_ too nonchalant about the situation.

"So," I drawl out as we enter the med bay, "Should I ask what I'm doing carrying all this stuff for you?"

"Just sit it out over here on the counter," she says. "We are going to put it in Knockout's buffer solution." I sit out the multiple containers I was carrying along the counter before scooping her off my shoulder and plopping her down next to them. Knockout was out for his rounds and shouldn't be back for a good hour.

"What is it?" I ask as I hold up and eye the unmarked container.

She casually responds, "Paint remover."

I nearly drop the container I'm holding. Looking at her with a bewildered look, I say, "You are probably one of the craziest femmes I have ever met."

She shrugs. "Probably. And I'm a girl, not a femme, remember?"

With a snort, I tell her, "You have a spark: that's good enough for me. You just the unfortunate luck of having such a squishy outer shell." I poke her in the side to emphasis my point.

She groans and says, "Don't remind me. Primus, I _hate_ being treated like a fragging china doll."

Though I wasn't entirely sure what a china doll was, as I go to pull out the bottles of buffer solution, I spoke to her. "Shadow… you're not doing this to prove anything, right? We all know that you are one crafty little scrapper, and you're gonna be one hell of a Con in a few years."

She doesn't say anything and stares in the opposite direction. Scrap. I pushed the subject too much. She may have been with us for over a year, but she still doesn't consider herself a Decepticon.

At least she no longer calls herself an Autobot.

Changing the subject, I say, "So, how many bottles of buffer solution are we going to trash?"

Grinning, her response has a tone as if the answer should be the most obvious answer in the world, which, for her, it was. "All of them."

"So, when are the fireworks gonna begin?" I ask Shadow as we walk towards the bridge.

Her smirk showed how proud she was of her work. "Well, I started Starscream's prank as soon as we left the computer terminal earlier, we have about thirty minutes before Soundwave's happens, and Knockout just depends on when his obsessive compulsiveness kicks in."

"So, Knockout's prank is probably happening right about now."

With a nod from where she sits in my hand, she continues. "That's why we are heading to the bridge. We can watch Screamer and Knockout from the safety of the monitors, plus the added bonus of being near Soundwave when his prank kicks in. Three birds with one stone."

"What—Never mind. I still don't understand your human expressions. Anyway, when are you going to tell me what you did to Lord Megatron? I'm starting to worry that this might not end well…"

With yet another roll of her eyes, she says, "Everything will be fine. Now pick up the pace! I want to see the fireworks!"

With a shocked look, I ask, "Please tell me it doesn't involve explosives!"

"Do I look like I want to die? Besides, I'm not one for painful pranks, _especially_ on my easily upset father. He might not do more then yell at me, but you guys would be _toast_ if you allowed me near explosives."

Scrunching my brows together, I tell her, "I'm not sure how comforting that is for me—"

She quickly shushes me as we enter the bridge. Standing resolute and silent in the command post, Soundwave quietly typed away at the keys to the computer. He had been charged with discovering newer energon mines as of late, so the distraction is the only reason we were even capable of getting away with setting up these pranks without the eyes and ears of the Decepticons knowing.

"Soundwave!" Shadow yelled in an excited voice as I approached the silent mech. He turned around without a word, looked at her for a second, and before I had even reached him, he used one of his tentacles to scoop her up from my hand. She squealed lightly, though happily, as he then drew her to him and gently sat her on his shoulder.

I roll my eyes at the pair. The habit was normal for Soundwave: though he never said it aloud, of course, he was obviously fond of the child. Except when Megatron was holding her, he would always do this, and I learned from dent he put in my helm not to question it.

Still grinning, Shadow used her 'silver tongue' to talk to the TIC. "Breakdown and I were wandering the halls, and I wanted to come say hi! This place seems dead today: I haven't seen Knockout since this morning. Haven't seen Screamer either, but that's not really a bad thing. Come to think of it, though, I haven't seen my father much today either. He didn't leave the ship, did he?" She sounded so casual, as if there wasn't anything wrong, and if I didn't know better, I would have believed her tone. The little bit of curiosity mixed with worry that she added to the end made the words even more believable.

She would make the perfect Decepticon one day.

Soundwave didn't seem to note anything wrong with her casual talking, but he did exactly as she had wanted him to. Turning to the screen in front of him, he began typing away, pulling up the security feeds.

The first feed was a sight to see. It showed Knockout, humming to himself as he buffed his arm. The camera's angle could show parts of his back, the paint seeming to smudge or be gone altogether, suggesting he started with his back today. His eyes scrunched as he leaned to examine his arm, and the look that passed across his face made me nearly die from laughter.

As I tried—and failed—to hold back my laughter, Soundwave turned to Shadow, a question mark appearing across his otherwise blank faceplate. With an excellent look of shock, she responds by saying, "I have no idea what happened…" As Knockout began to yelp and run frantically around the screen, I laughed even harder as Shadow began to join me. "…But that's fragging hilarious!"

Soundwave turned his attention back to the monitor and pulled up another screen alongside Knockout's. It showed Starscream standing nervously in one of the supply rooms, looking around as if someone was following him. Suddenly, out of nowhere, he screams and then pleads, "Make it stop! Make it stop!" as he clutches his helm.

Shadow begins to laugh uncontrollably, and I look to her questionably. Seeing my confusion, she explains. "I may or may not have set his comm link to play a certain song every few minutes…" After a pause as she tries to contain her giggles, she asks, "Have you ever heard of the chicken dance?"

I have to kneel on the ground to keep from falling over as I begin to laugh again.

Watching the screens as Soundwave slowly shakes his head at us, finally catching on, you can see a frantic Knockout on one as he rushes from the med lab, and on the other you can see Starscream as he begins to hit his head against the wall. The Starscream screen was made just that much funnier as Lord Megatron walked through the doorway, poised to yell at whoever was making the noise, only to have the most bewildered face at the sight of his SIC banging his head against the wall.

Let's just say, it wasn't long before we were all convened in the bridge to discuss the current… unruliness.

With his eyes shut as he held his face in his hand, Megatron asked, "Does _anyone_ seem to want to explain who _broke_ my medic and SIC?" By broke, he was referring to Knockout's current panic over his ruined paintjob and Starscream's inability to stop this little twitch in his eye.

"Um… they _may_ have been the subject of a prank…" I say to Lord Megatron as he glares at me.

"A… prank?" he growls.

A little clunk could be heard, and Megatron inclines his head to his daughter who had just ineffectively kicked him in side of his head from her spot on his shoulder. "Don't get mad at him! It was _my_ idea. You know how I get when I'm bored, and Breakdown was just trying to help cheer me up."

Megatron seemed quiet for a moment, and then he merely folded his arms behind him and nodded his head. "Just try _not_ to damage the mental conditions of my men next time."

She grinned and said, "No promises."

Starscream twitched again.

"Ahem," Knockout asked, finally deciding to speak up. We all looked at him, but it was obvious he was speaking to Shadow. "What exactly are we going to do about my paint job?"

Her grin grew into a smirk, and she said, "Don't worry, Knockout. We will get you repainted later."

He made an annoyed sound, but merely stepped forward to her with a roll of his eyes. Looking to Lord Megatron and nodding his head to Shadow's perch on his shoulder, he asked, "May I? If I'm going to repaint myself I will need her to help." Megatron nodded before holding his hand up for her to climb on before handing her to Knockout.

"We shouldn't be expecting anymore pranks, shall we?" Megatron asked with a raised brow. Before I could answer, a soft tranquil music began playing from Soundwave's station. Both Megatron and Starscream moved to flank the TIC.

The screen showed peaceful, hilly background that was made even more relaxing by the tranquil music accompanying it. The three leaned in to the screen to see what would happen when it appeared…

A horrifying face popped out of nowhere onto the screen along with a loud, shrill scream.

Starscream gasped and jumped back, both arms pulled up to his chest and one leg pulled up off the ground. Lord Megatron was even startled, jumping up slightly and his eyes wide. Soundwave, however, did something none of us ever expected. He jolted to where his form was stiffly straight up and down, then he slowly fell backwards to the ground as Screamer and Megatron's heads slowly turned to follow his form, their faces still showing their respectively startled looks.

Slowly I inched forward and nudged Soundwave with my foot. When he didn't move, Megatron put his face in his hand once more as I said to Shadow, "I think you broke him…"

With a frustrated sigh, Megatron move towards the bridges roof lift. "Fix. Him. I'm going for a flight to clear my head."

As the lift closed, I looked to the girl in Knockout's servos and said, "Maybe you should consider aborting Megatron's prank…"

"What?!" Knock out and Screamer yelled.

Shadow, on the other hand, sheepishly looked to me and responded, "Well, it might be a bit late for that…" She turns to look out the front windows of the Nemesis, and the sight before us makes all of our jaws drop. As Megatron's ship form flew by, he still looked just as intimidating as ever.

Until you saw the rainbow colored smoke trail that came from his engines.

"You did not…" Starscream began.

"How…" Knockout continued, but then exclaimed, "Holy frag, is that smoke _sparkling_?!"

Looking to the young girl who was impishly grinning in Knockout's servos, she tells me, "Let's just say, Cliff always wondered how much Megatron's intimidation factor would drop if he shot rainbows and flowers out of his exhaust pipes… I added the glitter since the flower thing wouldn't work."

Yep, we're dead.

**Poor Breakdown. Anyway, keep reading! Also, if you have any ideas for a truth or dare segment I'm posting in **_**Of Hope and Destruction**_**, please post them! It can involve only the Autobots and humans though, unless it's a question about a Con. **

**Anyway, please review! If you have any viewpoint requests, post those in the reviews too and I will try and crank out a chapter.**


	5. The Spider and the Moth

**Primus! It has been **_**ages**_** since I have written in this story, but recently Poet of Mercury suggested this when helping me with the first chapter of **_**Chasing Shadows of Angels**_**, so I decided to write this to give my mind a break from the series. Let's see how it goes…**

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"Soundwave," a worried Knockout asks, breaking my concentration from my current work. "Is Shadow with you?" I pause and turn to acknowledge the medic. "I haven't seen her for a few hours. I thought she was with Breakdown, but he hasn't seen her either… And I'm assuming from that blank stare you're giving me that she isn't here with you."

I immediately turn back to my station and begin typing away. Pulling up a map of the ship, I scan for any organic life signs around her size. Every time our little Princess goes missing, this is how we resort to finding her. Her small size makes it easy for her to go about virtually unnoticed, and thankfully the Autobots had already entrenched a deep seeded caution of avoiding walking underfoot. Lord Megatron is angered enough whenever he discovers that we have lost track of her: we would be destined for the scrapheap should she end up damaged by being stepped on.

Finally, a blip comes on screen, showing her to be in one of her favored hiding holes. Knockout huffed. "I still don't know how she manages to get up into the rafters." I have yet to tell them of how she has figured out how to navigate the ship's ventilation system. So long as it does not put her at risk and Lord Megatron does not find out, she can keep her escape route to privacy. "I guess I should go get her down before she falls and hurts herself."

As the medic turns to go after the girl, I grab his arm. He looks at me, and I slowly shake my head before turning around and opening a portal. As I move to leave, he says, "If you insist. Just be careful with her!" I do not acknowledge him and keep walking.

Her hideout was really just one of the exposed beams in the main hangar deck. Compared to her small size, it was an excessive amount of space for her, so I had no fears of her falling. The girl has proven in her two years aboard the Nemesis that she is quite intelligent and capable of preventing injury to herself. But, as I approached her spot, I hear a faint sound, one that made my seemingly emotionless spark ache a bit.

I heard the suppressed sob of our crying little princess.

My strides quickened a bit, and soon I found myself pulling up onto a foothold to see the little girl. She slowly looks up to me with sad, silver eyes that are a bit duller then normal, before settling her gaze back down on the glass box she was kneeling in front of. "Hey Soundwave," she mumbled as she rubbed her eyes on her shirtsleeve.

After gently prodding her in the side with a servo to gain her attention, I tilt my helm to the side in a confused gesture, silently asking her what was wrong. She gives me a sad smile before explaining.

"Remember how I had asked my father for a pet a few months ago, and how he told me how it would get hurt on the ship?" I nod. She looks at her hands, which were clasped in her lap. "Well, I thought I had found a solution."

She gestures to the glass box in front of her. "I found a grasshopper a little while ago. I caught it and put it in this box before convincing Breakdown to take me outside and gather some plants. I managed to set up this terrarium: it's a little miniature habitat, perfect for bugs."

She smiled in a proud way. "The ship is full of bugs. It's easy to catch them, and once in here, they would just eat the plants and were happy. I named them all." Her smile got sad again. "Then I found this little fuzzy brown caterpillar a while back. It ate a lot and got fat and eventually made a cocoon. I thought it would be a butterfly, but it turned out to be a moth. I didn't mind: I liked it better. It didn't need all those bright and gaudy colors. It was pretty and natural looking. Plus, it was calmer and more trusting then a butterfly. Butterflies fly away with the slightest movement. My moth didn't fly away: she would even crawl on my hand."

Her smile vanished. "I found a spider. It was a black one. I know that I shouldn't have messed with it, it could be poisonous, but I thought it would be fine…"

I began to panic for a moment, and I reached and lifted her arms with a servo, searching for a sign of a bite or a reaction. "Easy Soundwave! She didn't bite me. She didn't even seem upset when I moved her into the terrarium. She just settled right in and spun a tiny little web off in the corner. I fed her ants: we have plenty of those. I could just drop them on her web, and she was happy… At least, I thought she would be fine with just the ants but… she was just biding her time."

The little girl began to tear up again, and I looked into the terrarium, zooming in with my visor to see the small insect inhabitants. In the back corner, the web could be clearly scene, a few little ant carcasses adorning the darker corner of the otherwise tranquil little habitat. Unfortunately, upon the web was another larger carcass with marbled brown wings.

It was Shadow's moth, and it was dead.

I looked at the soft-sparked little girl before me. Despite everything in her life, she was a sheltered child. Both the Autobots and the Decepticons had kept sheltered, trying to preserve the innocent little girl before me. She knew nothing of loss, nothing of pain. We kept her away from the Vehicons, fearing she might grow attached only to have one die. She still is not aware of the number of soldiers that die each time we face the angered Autobots. It would crush her.

Looking between the little girl and the deceased moth, I'm at a loss over what to say. Lifting her head to me with tears brimming in her silver eyes, I realize how young she really is. She asks, "Why must things kill? Why must things die? Why fight to live if we are all meant to die?"

Suddenly, giving in the need to comfort the small child, I respond with vocal processors hoarse from lack of use, "We live to fill the time between. On Cybertron, we say, 'till all are one'."

Her face shows complete and utter shock, staring at me with eyes wider than I thought possible for the child. I haven't spoken since ages before the war, and this child had somehow managed to coax out my voice. Honestly, I didn't seem to mind. Then, holding back another sniffle, she softly smiles and responds, "Till all are one."

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**This references part of the second chapter in **_**Chasing Shadows of Angels**_**. That chapter is also in Soundwave's POV, and it mentions how she cried when the spider ate her moth. Poet mentioned that this would be good fodder for this mini-series, and I needed to update this story anyway. **

**So, any thoughts? Also, if you have a character POV request or an idea, just let me know! **


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